Perrance Shiri | |
|---|---|
 Shiri in 2014 | |
| Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement | |
| In office 30 November 2017 – 29 July 2020 | |
| President | Emmerson Mnangagwa |
| Deputy | Davis Marapira[1] |
| Succeeded by | Anxious Masuka |
| Commander of theAir Force of Zimbabwe | |
| In office 1992 – 7 December 2017 | |
| President | Robert Mugabe |
| Preceded by | Josiah Tungamirai |
| Succeeded by | Shebba Shumbayaonda(Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bigboy Samson Chikerema (1955-01-11)11 January 1955 |
| Died | 29 July 2020(2020-07-29) (aged 65) Harare, Zimbabwe |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Royal College of Defence Studies |
| Awards | Grand Commander of the Zimbabwe Order of Merit |
| Nickname | Perrance Shiri |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Zimbabwe |
| Branch/service | Air Force of Zimbabwe |
| Rank | Air Chief Marshal |
| Commands | Fifth Brigade Air Force of Zimbabwe |
Perrance Shiri (bornBigboy Samson Chikerema; 11 January 1955[2][3] – 29 July 2020)[4] was aZimbabweanair officer and government official who served asMinister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement in theCabinet of Zimbabwe from 1 December 2017 until his death on 29 July 2020. He was the commander of theAir Force of Zimbabwe and member of theJoint Operations Command which exerts day-by-day control over Zimbabwe's government.[5][6]
Perrance Shiri was a cousin of former PresidentRobert Mugabe.[7] He called himself "BlackJesus",[8] because according to an anonymous claim on theBBCPanorama documentary "The Price of Silence", he "could determine your life likeJesus Christ. He could heal, raise the dead, whatever. So he claimed to be like that because he could say if you live or not."[9]
On 30 November 2017, Shiri was appointedMinister of Agriculture by PresidentEmmerson Mnangagwa. On 18 December he was promoted fromAir Marshal toAir Chief Marshal upon retirement.
From 1983 to 1984, theZimbabwean Fifth Brigade, under Shiri's command, was responsible for areign of terror inMatabeleland. During the slaughter, thousands of civilians were killed and thousands more were tortured. Despite this, in 1986, Shiri was granted a place at theRoyal College of Defence Studies inLondon.[10]
In 1992, Shiri was appointed the commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe, taking over fromAir Chief MarshalJosiah Tungamirai.[6]
Shiri was in command of the Zimbabwean troops at the start of theSecond Congo War. It was Shiri who decided that the Zimbabwean contingent woulddefend N'Djili and its airport. This was in order to maintain an air route for resupply and reinforcements if needed.[11]
In the late-1990s and early-2000s, Shiri was reported to have organised farm invasions by war veterans.[12] In 2002, in response to the subsequent food shortage, Mugabe dispatched Shiri toSouth Africa to purchase maize. This undertaking was backed by a credit note for the equivalent of£17 million from theLibyan leader,Colonel Gaddafi.[7]
With the Mugabe government facing increasing problems, the Zimbabwean press reported in February 2007 that Shiri was regularly attending GeneralSolomon Mujuru’s unofficial meetings with other senior military commanders and some political leaders. These meetings had discussed forcing Mugabe to the polls in 2008 with a view to his replacement as president.[13]
In 2008 some Zimbabwean lawyers and opposition politicians fromMutare claimed that Shiri managed military assaults on illegal diggers in the diamond mines in the east of Zimbabwe.[14]
In the days before the2008 Zimbabwean presidential election Shiri, along with other Zimbabwean Defence chiefs, held a press conference where they stated that defence and security forces had been deployed across the country to maintain order. In a remark aimed against theMovement for Democratic Change, the defence chiefs stated that it would be a criminal act for anyone to declare himself the winner of the election. They maintained that such a statement must only be made by theZimbabwe Electoral Commission.[15]
In 2002 theEuropean Union barred thenAir Marshal Shiri from entering the EU[16] and on 6 March 2003,George W. Bush ordered the blocking of any of Shiri's property in theUnited States.[3]
Shiri was ambushed on 13 December 2008 while driving to his farm. According to police, he was accosted by unknown people who shot at his car. Thinking one of his tyres had burst, he got out and was shot in the arm.[17] It has been speculated that the assassination attempt was a response to Shiri's attacks on illegal diamond miners in 2008 or because of his role in Matabeleland in the 1980s.[18]
In October 2013, Shiri's son, Titus Takudzwa Chikerema, died at the age of 21.[19]
Shiri was influential in orchestrating the2017 Zimbabwean coup d'état which removed Mugabe from power.[20] On 30 November 2017, Shiri was appointedMinister of Agriculture by PresidentEmmerson Mnangagwa. On 18 December he was promoted fromAir Marshal toAir Chief Marshal upon retirement.
Shiri died on 29 July 2020, after being hospitalized the day before.[21] He was 65; local news sources say his death was due to complications fromCOVID-19 during theCOVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe.[21][22] Mnangagwa described Shiri as a “longtime friend and colleague” and “a true patriot.”[20] Shiri was subsequently succeeded byAnxious Jongwe Masuka as the Minister of Lands, Agriculture,and Rural Resettlement.[23]
Commanders ofAir Force of Zimbabwe and its antecedents | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Rhodesian Air Force commanders |  | |
| Air Force of Zimbabwe commanders | |||
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander of theAir Force of Zimbabwe 1992–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of Lands, Agriculture, and Rural Resettlement 2017–2020 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | ||